SAN JUAN – Puerto Rico’s governor welcomed on Thursday the cast and crew of “Imprisoned” to the economically beleaguered United States commonwealth and said the film project, currently in pre-production, would create hundreds of jobs for the local economy.

“Our administration is committed to the film industry as one of the main engines for Puerto Rico’s economic development, and this film (will lead to) the creation of 739 direct jobs and 2,032 indirect jobs,” Ricardo Rossello said in a statement.

Rossello also welcomed the film’s lead actor, Laurence Fishburne, as well as other cast members including Juan Pablo Raba and Edward James Olmos.

The secretary of Puerto Rico’s Treasury Department, Raul Maldonado, said for his part that the government was an ally of the film industry.

“We understand the importance of tax incentives for the development of the film industry and the positive return for our economy. ‘Imprisoned’ has a budget of $11.4 million that is directly entering the island at a crucial time for Puerto Rico,” Maldonado said.

Likewise, Economic Development and Commerce Secretary Manuel Laboy Rivera said he was pleased about this investment in the Caribbean island, which has been in recession for more than a decade and has entered into a type of bankruptcy process to restructure its massive debt load.

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